Wikipedia

Tilia americana

"Basswood" redirects here. For other uses, seeBasswood (disambiguation).

Tilia americanais aspeciesoftreein thefamilyMalvaceae,native to easternNorth America,from southeastManitobaeast toNew Brunswick,southwest to northeastOklahoma,southeast toSouth Carolina,and west along theNiobrara RivertoCherry County, Nebraska.It is the sole representative of its genus in the Western Hemisphere, assumingT. carolinianais treated as a subspecies or local ecotype ofT. americana.[2][3]Common names includeAmerican basswood[4]andAmerican linden.

Tilia americana
Leaves and flowers
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Tilia
Species:
T. americana
Binomial name
Tilia americana
Natural range
Synonyms

Tilia glabraVentenat

Description

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A specimen in theArnold Arboretumleafing out in spring

The American basswood is a medium-sized to largedeciduoustreereaching a height of 18 to 37 m (60 to 120 ft) exceptionally 39 m (128 ft) with a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) at maturity. It grows faster than many North American hardwoods, often twice the annual growth rate ofAmerican beechand manybirchspecies. Life expectancy is around 200 years, with flowering and seeding generally occurring between 15 and 100 years, though occasionally seed production may start as early as eight years.

The crown is domed, the branches spreading, often pendulous. Thebarkis gray to light brown, with narrow, well defined fissures. Therootsare large, deep, and spreading. Thetwigsare smooth, reddish-green, becoming light gray in their second year, finally dark brown or brownish gray, marked with dark wart-like excrescences. The winter buds are stout, ovate-acute, smooth, deep red, with two bud scales visible.

Theleavesaresimple,alternatelyarranged,ovatetocordate,asymmetrical, unequal at the base (the side nearest the branch the largest), 10–15 cm (4–6 in) (can grow up to 25 cm or 10 in) long and broad, with a long, slender petiole, a coarsely serrated margin and an acuminate apex.William Jackson Beannoted that occasionally, enormous leaves measuring 38 cm or 15 in long by 25 cm or 10 in wide appear on thick, succulent shoots.[5]They open from the bud conduplicate, pale green, downy; when full grown are dark green, smooth, shining above, paler beneath, with tufts of rusty brown hairs in the axils of the primary veins; the smallstipulesfall soon after leaf opening. The fall color is yellow-green to yellow. Both the twigs and leaves containmucilaginoussap.

Theflowersare small, fragrant, yellowish-white,10–14 mm (13⁄32–9⁄16inch) in diameter, arranged in drooping,cymoseclusters of 6–20 with a whitish-green leaf-likebractattached for half its length at the base of the cyme. They are perfect, regular, with fivesepalsandpetals,numerousstamens,and a five-celled superiorovary.The leaves emerge in mid-spring, but the flowers require day lengths of approximately 14 hours and 30 minutes to form, henceT. americana's range is limited to north of the 35th parallel. Time of flowering varies by several weeks depending on the latitude; early May in Canada and early June in the extreme southern extent. Leaf drop in fall occurs between early and late October depending on the latitude. The flowers are fragrant and insect-pollinated.

Thefruitis a small,globose,downy, hard and dry cream-colorednutletwith a diameter of8–10 mm (5⁄16–13⁄32in).[2][6][7]

Ecology

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American basswood is dominant in the sugar maple–basswood forest association, which is most common in westernWisconsinand centralMinnesota,but occurs as far east asNew Englandand southernQuebecin places that havemesicsoil with relatively highpH.It also has minor occurrence in many other forest cover types.

Its flowers provide abundant nectar for insects. The seeds are eaten bychipmunks,mice,andsquirrels.Rabbitsandvoleseat the bark, sometimes girdling young trees. The leaves serve as food forcaterpillarsof variousLepidoptera(see Lepidoptera which feed onTilia). Theribbed cocoon makerspeciesBucculatrix improvisahas not been found on other plants.

This species is particularly susceptible to adultJapanese beetles(aninvasive speciesin North America) that feed on its leaves.[8]The mushroomPholiota squarrosoidesis known to decay the logs of the tree.[9]

Cultivation and uses

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Sections ofTilia americanafromThe American Woods

The American basswood can be propagated by cuttings and grafting as well as by seed. Propagated plants grow rapidly in a rich soil, but are susceptible to many pests.

The American basswood is known for being one of the most difficult native North American trees to propagate from seed, as they not only have a low viability rate (approximately 30% of all seeds are viable), but quickly develop an extremely hard seed coating that may delay germination for up to two years. If planting them, it is recommended to gather the seeds in early autumn and sow them before they dry out and form a coating. This will then allow germination to occur immediately. Overall, seeds are not a major part of the tree's reproductive strategy and it instead mostly spreads by self-coppicing.All juvenile basswoods coppice extremely readily, and even old trees will often sprout from the stump if cut.

The American basswood is recommended as an ornamental tree when the mass of foliage or a deep shade is desired; no native tree surpasses it in this respect. It is often planted on the windward side of an orchard as a protection to young and delicate trees.[7]It is cultivated at least as far north asJuneau, Alaska.[10]

The foliage and flowers are both edible, though the tender young leaves are more palatable. It is a beneficial species for attracting pollinators as well. Bees produce excellent honey with a mildly spicy flavor from its blossoms. The inner bark was used historically as a fiber source for making baskets, rope, and fishing nets.[11]

Basswood attracts many insect pests, includingJapanese beetles,and skeletonized leaves are common. Mite galls commonly form on the foliage.

Cultivarsinclude 'Nova', 'Duros' (with an upright crown), the pyramidal 'Frontyard' and the conic-crowned 'Redmond'.

The tree was introduced to the UK in 1752, but has never prospered there, being prone to dieback.[5]

Wood

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The wood is pale brown, sometimes nearly white or faintly tinged with red; light, soft with fine close grain; clear of knots but does not split easily. It is low in strength and has a poor steam-bending classification. It can take stains and polish without difficulty and it planes, glues, screws and nails well.[12]It is sold generally under the name basswood. It has adensityof 0.4525 (relative to water). The wood is considered odorless. This makes it valuable in the manufacture of wooden utensils and furniture. It is also used for woodcarving. The inner bark is very tough and fibrous, used in the past for making ropes.[7]

Basswood is atonewoodcommonly used in the manufacture of solid-bodyelectric guitars.It is relatively lightweight and easy to work and sand.[13]It accepts paint andfinishesvery well. It is usually used for guitars that will be painted an opaque color as its lack of notable grain makes it an unattractive candidate for transparent finish. It exhibits a very balanced,[14]even tone with a good low/mid-midrange projection making it suitable for a wide variety of musical applications.[15]It is often paired with maple laminates to balance the midrange with more treble (inherent to maple) to make a very well rounded sounding instrument. It is also relatively inexpensive, which has made it a favorite of large factories mass-producing instruments.

It has proven especially popular in instruments made for musicians who playheavy metal.This could be because its tonality helps level out the thin, tinny sound associated withknife edged tremolocontacts that many modern rock and metal players use as bridges on their guitars.[14]

Recently, basswood was used in the development of "Nxylon", a super-black material discovered byUniversity of British Columbiaresearchers.[16]As the primary wood used to create Nxylon, basswood's natural properties contribute to the material's lightweight, stiff structure that can be easily cut into intricate shapes. The use of basswood in Nxylon demonstrates how a common, sustainable resource can be transformed into a high-tech material with applications in fine jewelry, solar cells, and precision optical devices.

Medicinal uses

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AlthoughTilia cordatais believed to be stronger,T. americanais also used medicinally. The dried flowers are mildly sweet and sticky, and the fruit is somewhat sweet andmucilaginous.Linden tea has a pleasing taste, due to the aromatic volatile oil found in the flowers. The flowers, leaves, wood, and charcoal (obtained from the wood) are used for medicinal purposes. Active ingredients in the linden flowers includeflavonoids(which act asantioxidants), volatile oils, and mucilaginous constituents (which soothe and reduce inflammation). The plant also containstanninsthat can act as anastringent.[17]

Linden flowers are used in colds, cough, fever, infections, inflammation, high blood pressure, headache (particularly migraine), as a diuretic (increases urine production), antispasmodic (reduces smooth muscle spasm along the digestive tract), and sedative. The flowers were added to baths to quell hysteria, and steeped as a tea to relieve anxiety-related indigestion, irregular heartbeat, and vomiting. The leaves are used to promote sweating to reduce fevers. The wood is used for liver and gallbladder disorders and cellulitis (inflammation of the skin and surrounding soft tissue). The wood burned to charcoal is ingested to treat intestinal disorders and used topically to treat edema or infection, such as cellulitis or ulcers of the lower leg.[17][18]

Several animal studies showed that the extract ofT. americanaincreased sleeping time by 50 minutes (similar to the effects ofdiazepam) and decreased movement, which indicates sedative effects.[18][19]It is argued that its mechanism of action is due to the flavonoidquercetin,[20][21]as it inhibits the release ofhistamine.[22][unreliable medical source?]

References

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  1. ^Barstow, M. (2017)."Tilia americana".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2017:e.T61788230A61788232.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61788230A61788232.en.Retrieved19 November2021.
  2. ^abCrow, T. R. (1990)."Tilia americana".In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.).Hardwoods.Silvics of North America.Vol. 2.Washington, D.C.:United States Forest Service(USFS),United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) – via Southern Research Station.
  3. ^"Tilia americana".Germplasm Resources Information Network.Agricultural Research Service,United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. ^USDA, NRCS(n.d.)."​Tilia americana​".The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov).Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.Retrieved10 December2015.
  5. ^abBean, W. J. (1921).Trees and shrubs hardy in the British Isles.Vol. II (3rd ed.). London: John Murray. p. 590.OCLC5916772.
  6. ^USDA NRCS Tree Guide:Tilia americana(pdf file)
  7. ^abcKeeler, H. L. (1900).Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them.New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp.24–31.
  8. ^"Managing the Japanese Beetle:A Homeowner's Handbook"(PDF).USDA. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-09-16.
  9. ^Halama, Marek (January 2011)."First record of the rare species Pholiota squarrosoides (Agaricales, Strophariaceae) in southwestern Poland".Polish Botanical Journal.RetrievedAugust 10,2019.
  10. ^Juneau:Downtown Juneau Tree GuideArchivedAugust 18, 2007, at theWayback Machine
  11. ^Sullivan, Janet."SPECIES: Tilia americana".Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) FEIS Home Page Index of Species Information.USDA.Retrieved17 August2019.
  12. ^Porter, Terry (2006).Wood Identification & Use(Revised & Expanded ed.). p. 254.ISBN1-86108-436-6.
  13. ^"What is Basswood? | Everything You Need to Know About Basswood".Timber Blogger.29 June 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 15 December 2022.Retrieved16 December2022.
  14. ^ab"Guitar Tone Woods".SoundUnlimited.Archived fromthe originalon 16 December 2022.Retrieved16 December2022.
  15. ^Nusselder, Joost (16 September 2022)."Best wood for electric guitars | Full guide matching wood & tone".Neaera.Archived fromthe originalon 15 December 2022.Retrieved16 December2022.
  16. ^"UBC super-black wood can improve telescopes, optical devices and consumer goods".UBC News.2024-07-30.Retrieved2024-08-07.
  17. ^abP, Bradley, ed. (1992),British Herbal Compendium,vol. I, Dorset (Great Britain: British Herbal Medicine Association, pp. 142–144{{citation}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)
  18. ^abAguirre-Hernández, E.; Martínez, A. L.; González-Trujano, M. E.; Moreno, J.; Vibrans, H.; Soto-Hernández, M. (2007-01-03). "Pharmacological evaluation of the anxiolytic and sedative effects of Tilia americana L. var. mexicana in mice".Journal of Ethnopharmacology.109(1): 140–145.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2006.07.017.PMID16930893.
  19. ^Pérez-Ortega, G.; Guevara-Fefer, P.; Chávez, M.; Herrera, J.; Martínez, A.; Martínez, A. L.; González-Trujano, M. E. (2008-03-28). "Sedative and anxiolytic efficacy of Tilia americana var. mexicana inflorescences used traditionally by communities of State of Michoacan".Journal of Ethnopharmacology.116(3): 461–468.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.12.007.ISSN0378-8741.PMID18242902.
  20. ^Herrera-Ruiz, Maribel; Román-Ramos, Rubén; Zamilpa, Alejandro; Tortoriello, Jaime; Jiménez-Ferrer, J. Enrique (2008-07-23). "Flavonoids from Tilia americana with anxiolytic activity in plus-maze test".Journal of Ethnopharmacology.118(2): 312–317.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.04.019.PMID18539420.
  21. ^Noguerón-Merino, M. C.; Jiménez-Ferrer, E.; Román-Ramos, R.; Zamilpa, A.; Tortoriello, J.; Herrera-Ruiz, M. (2015-04-22). "Interactions of a standardized flavonoid fraction from Tilia americana with Serotoninergic drugs in elevated plus maze".Journal of Ethnopharmacology.164:319–327.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.01.029.PMID25656001.
  22. ^Kelly, Gregory S. (2011-06-01). "Quercetin. Monograph".Alternative Medicine Review.16(2): 172–194.ISSN1089-5159.PMID21649459.
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